Norafin Americas, Inc. will establish a manufacturing plant in Henderson County, which will create 46 new jobs during the next three years. The German nonwoven textile maker will invest $16 million at a location in Mills River for its first production facility outside of Germany.

 

Norafin Americas is a unit of the Norafin Group, headquartered in the German state of Saxony. The company develops, produces and sells high-performance, specialty, nonwoven fabrics to buyers across the protective barrier, industrial, filtration, medical, automotive, apparel, and other technical markets. In March 2016, VR Equitypartner, a leading equity capital company in Germany, Austria and Switzerland became the majority shareholder. In July 2016, investment management company, Maxburg Capital Partners, joined the shareholders to further strengthen future growth into the US. Norafin currently runs a sales office in Asheville.

 

Norafin Americas’ arrival in North Carolina was facilitated in part by a performance-based grant of up to $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance in support of local governments in creating jobs and attracting economic investment. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants are contingent upon a local government match.

 

In addition to North Carolina Commerce and EDPNC, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, N.C. Revenue, Henderson County, the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development and the Town of Mills River.